57Reg Head Gasket Gone

[bobski1]

The mrs' R56 1.6 petrol mini cooper started to lose coolant recently. Check if it had white sludge under the oil cap & there was a good amount there. It is only on 89k miles. Really surprised to see it go so early especially since mine is on 1.9tdi is on 190k miles with no issues.

Question I had was it is a common problem for the head gasket to go? I have read it could be the thermostat housing causing it to go? I believe that the cause could be the frequent number of short journeys she does to work & back but I cannot understand how it has gone so quickly.

[i]Mayo is not always the sign of head gasket problems, it can build up excessively and clog the engine breather system causing oil leaks and can be caused by the engine not warming up fully due to too many short journeys in cold weather or a thermostat problem, the moisture and condensation that forms due to the combustion process and oil is the mayo.
Now the weather is warming up and more people are using their car on longer holiday journeys the mayo will evaporate and disappear as the car reaches full operating temperature for longer periods.[/i]

Plan on giving it more long journeys in the next few weeks to see if that clears in but how can I confirm if it is the gasket

Edited by bobski1 on Tuesday 24th January 11:15

[Elliot2000]

Head gaskets are rare, slightly more common on cooper s,

But as u say, short journeys cause a lot of condensation in side the rocker box which causes the mayo. Most likely losing coolant from the water pump or the thermostat

[bobski1]

Elliot2000 said:

Head gaskets are rare, slightly more common on cooper s,

But as u say, short journeys cause a lot of condensation in side the rocker box which causes the mayo. Most likely losing coolant from the water pump or the thermostat

Right will get both the water pump/thermostat checked out see if any of those are to blame for the coolant loss.